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A Matinee with Students

By on April 29, 2013

A nice lady took this picture of me and some students

Saturday Rick and I very much enjoyed attending a performance of Coriolanus in DC with Professor Tony Lilly and several students.

Prof. Lilly proudly wears his P&P ribbon

As regular readers of this blog know, Rick and I go to the theater as often as we can. In recent years, we thought we were detecting an upsurge of interest in Coriolanus (based on a very unscholarly review of our own experience!) We’ve seen RSC productions in both Ann Arbor and London, we’ve seen a production at the Stratford Festival, and of course last year there was a filmed version starring Ralph Fiennes. Now this excellent production at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in DC. (I particularly liked the use of sound in this one, which featured drums and other percussion instruments.)

So I asked Professor Lilly and our students why they thought this particular play might have been of special interest in the last decade or so. Here are some of the ideas we batted around:

  • The play starts with hunger and food riots. Perhaps in a time of growing economic  inequality the question of how government should respond to movements like Occupy Wall Street seems especially relevant?
  • Coriolanus hates “celebrity culture.” That is, he resents having to expose himself in what he sees as pandering for public approval. Maybe we’re beginning to wonder whether our own obsession with celebrity in politics has gone too far?
  • We’ve had occasion to consider the relationship between military leadership and political leadership, arising from  experience in Afghanistan as well as from personal scandals. Maybe the play speaks to those issues?

Gathering in the lobby

 

At intermission, some of the students were connecting the play to their reading of the Federalist Papers and the concept of the “mask of zeal,” talking about which characters are wearing the mask of zeal and which are actually zealous and whether there’s a difference.

So, just another day on which I was reminded of what a privilege it is to be in higher education. Sitting in a theater, talking with young women about ideas like these. . . how lucky am I?

This entry is filed under academics, Campus Life, Faculty, Uncategorized.

Joyful Noise

By on February 26, 2013

Students, Singing!

Sunday evening was the annual Gospel Fest, held in celebration of Black History Month.

Chaplain Dori Baker greets the crowd

I love this event, at which the Sweet Briar and local communities gather in the Chapel to share the kind of music that makes that lovely old building ring like a bell! We heard choirs of men and of women, family groups and soloists, performing spirituals and hymns.

AND, for the first time, Sweet Briar students welcomed our guests with a performance of their own. Our singers — 68 strong! — opened the evening with a spirited version of “Siyahamba,” accompanied by the Sweet Briar drum ensemble. (Did you know Sweet Briar has a drum ensemble, thanks to new music professor Jeff Jones?)

I’ll admit it, I’ve been humming that tune since Sunday night. . .

Opening our doors, sharing the vitality of the gospel tradition and the talents of our students and our neighbors: I can’t imagine a better way to end a weekend. Since I don’t have audio clips to share, I hope these pictures give you some sense of the energy and fun.

 

 

This entry is filed under Campus Life, Diversity, Local Interest, Uncategorized.

Brownies Trying Science

By on February 20, 2013

Earlier this month 81 Brownie Scouts from 9 troops spent a day on campus “trying science.” By completing 15 science related activities, participating Brownies earned three badges.

The day was sponsored by our chapter of Iota Sigma Pi, the chemistry honor society, and led by students from Professor Jill Granger’s Service Learning: Science Outreach course, ably assisted by many of their friends and classmates.

Seeing undergraduate students sharing the love and the fun of science with younger girls is utterly delightful. Faces light up, brows furrow in concentration, hugs get exchanged. And little girls get an experience that makes it clear that big girls do science, that doing science is fun, and that college is a place where cool things happen. (And where the food is really good — apparently all-you-can eat of lots of different things in the dining hall is a highlight of the day!)

It’s a win-win-win, and pretty cute to boot.

This entry is filed under academics, Campus Life, Local Interest.

An Academic “Rumpus”

By on February 14, 2013

Audience members arriving for the lecture

This week Sweet Briar’s Lectures and Events Committee and the Tusculum Institute sponsored a visit to campus by Henry Wiencek, journalist, independent historian, and author of “Master of the Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves.”

I was pleased that Mr. Wiencek, also the author of books on George Washington and the Hairston family, appeared on campus for several reasons. First, obviously, Virginia history — and Thomas Jefferson’s role in it — is a topic of special interest; Sweet Briar is so close to both Monticello and Poplar Forest that Mr. Jefferson feels like a neighbor. And then, in recent years Sweet Briar and the Tusculum Institute have launched various projects studying enslaved people on the former Sweet Briar Plantation and their descendents in our community; examining the larger context of slavery in Virginia is essential to those efforts.

Henry Wiencek and Tusculum Institute Director Lynn Rainville arriving

But mainly, I was pleased because Master of the Mountain has been the center of an academic controversy — what Wiencek himself refers to as “the rumpus.” Wiencek argues that Jefferson’s management practices as a slaveholder must be taken into account as we assess his public and private statements (and silences) on the topic of slavery. If you’re interested in the controversy, Smithsonian Magazine published an excerpt from Wiencek’s work which you can find here: the New York Times described the controversy here: Annette Gordon-Reed, distinguished author of The Hemingses of Monticello, published a “debunking” of Wiencek’s work in Slate.

I think too often we forget how much academic debate matters. The heart of academic work is not in declaring what is known or has been learned but in marshaling competing ideas, interpretations, observations and analyses and letting them contend with one another. In his lecture, Henry Wiencek openly considered the grounds on which he and his critics differ. He represented himself not as an authority on Jefferson come to reveal the truth but as an active intellectual engaged in thrashing out contentious issues.

Reminding students that ideas are worth arguing for and over is essential to a healthy intellectual community. As is showing them that vigorous academic debate can be conducted without profanity, personal aspersion, invective, or abuse.

Some people in the audience seemed to agree with Mr. Wiencek. Others challenged him on various points. Everyone heard him frankly describe the differences between his critics and himself and explain why they mattered — and why he cares enough about his subject to make the strongest case he can for his views. Whatever members of the audience learned about Jefferson as a slaveholder, they learned something very important about intellectual integrity and what it means to care passionately about ideas.

 

This entry is filed under academics, Campus Life, Diversity, Faculty, Local Interest, Uncategorized and tagged , .

Sweet Briar Creates

By on February 9, 2013

Last week ended on a lovely note — the opening of the “Sweet Briar Creates” exhibit in Benedict.

The strengths of the professional artists on Sweet Briar’s faculty are well known. Their work is a source of pride to colleagues and students alike. But less well-known are the talents of faculty and staff members for whom art is an avocation rather than a primary professional commitment. “Sweet Briar Creates” showcases and celebrates their work.

As everyone moved around the gallery at the opening, I heard many versions of “who knew?” Who knew a professor of poetry was also an outstanding woodworker? Who knew that a housekeeper at the Elston Inn made beautiful jewelry using reclaimed materials and natural motifs?

The VCCA’s Craig Pleasants and CFO Scott Shank: photo by Rob Alexander

Or that a grant proposal writer in the Development Office both painted and made vividly-colored “slumped glass?” (And yes, I had to asked what that meant too.) An Aramark employee creates multimedia pieces exploring consumer lust for technology products. An English professor makes graceful and subtle ceramic vessels. The Master Naturalist creates musical instruments from from things like gourds and deer bone. And so on. . .

ARAMARK’s Kylene Hayslett and Cheryl Warnock, Theater

Talking with the artists and with those who were there to enjoy the art gave me a renewed appreciation for the creativity that runs through every part of campus every day. Art is one reflection of that creativity, of course, but only one — to me, the display represented the way in which  everyone on campus — whatever her or his title and official duties — is seeking to see things from new perspectives, explore additional facets of a topic or experience, and express insights in original and creative ways.

Doing that requires taking some risks.

Studio Art’s Paige Critcher and Environmental Studies’ Rob Alexander

For a professor of environmental studies to display his photographic work (to a crowd that includes professional artists) might, I imagine, be daunting. Having the courage and the vision to take a creative stretch — that what’s the exhibit reminded me is so special about the people who work at Sweet Briar.

 

 

This entry is filed under academics, Campus Life, Faculty, Uncategorized.

Holiday Break

By on December 18, 2012

Finals are wrapping up. Last night students who are still on campus enjoyed a “late night breakfast” party in Prothro (during a brief power outage!); faculty are grading, grading, grading;  cookies and other holiday treats are being exchanged — in short, it’s almost time for the holiday break to begin! Judging by what I read on Facebook, students are ready for the break and looking forward to time at home with family and friends. . .

Rick and I will be traveling until shortly after Christmas. Please understand if I don’t post anything here until after the New Year. (If I do then: we are going to Mexico and will be there for the projected date of the “Mayan apocalypse,” so who knows?)

As usual, I’ll be travelling with both an iPad and a tote bag full of books. When I return I look forward to sharing my book list and perhaps hearing about what all of you read during the holidays.

In the meantime, I hope that the coming weeks bring you time with those who are most important to you and many heartening reflections on the accomplishments and joys of the year that is drawing to a close.

This entry is filed under Campus Life, Family and Personal. | 1 Comment

The Holiday Season Arrives!

By on December 3, 2012

Last night the holiday season arrived on campus complete with lights, food, music, and good fellowship.

In the late afternoon, on our way to the annual Holiday Dinner, Rick and I joined in the SGA Tree Lighting. We could hear the carol singing as soon as we left Sweet Briar House. Walking down Chapel Drive, toward the lighted tree, the Chapel backlit against the sunset, the singing students — well, it was simply spectacular. It was a mild and clear evening and as you can see several horses joined in the festivities. What you can’t see, because I’m not that good a cell-phone photographer, is that many of the horses, like their riders, were dressed for the occasion in reindeer antlers, santa hats, and other seasonal tack.

From there, it was off to Prothro for the Holiday Dinner. Nearly 150 members of the faculty and staff, with family members and guests, joined the students for an ample and traditional meal. There was ham, and roast beef, and turkey, and dressing, and gravy, and mashed potatoes, and green beans, and fresh rolls, and probably a great deal more that I simply didn’t have the capacity to try.

Antlers!

Flashing-light earrings!

On the dessert table — buche de noel, various pies and pastries, little tiny cakes, and lots and lots of whipped cream. Standing at the doorway, welcoming all to the feast, I especially enjoy the festive outfits. (My personal favorite may have been the red and green striped “Santa’s Elf” boot socks that several students were sporting, although I didn’t get a good picture of those.)

And then, back to the Chapel for the Vespers service, the first led by new Chaplain Dori Baker. All of it was lovely — the greenery and candlelight, the swelling tones of the organ, the traditional readings — but I have to say that I was replaying the processional in my ear’s memory all night long. The more than 60 members of the choir performed an arrangement of a South African hymn accompanied by a drum ensemble led by music professor Jeff Jones. (Professor Jones was the arranger as well.) There was no way in the world to listen to that music without swaying and smiling and singing along. . .

 

This entry is filed under Campus Life.

Giving Thanks!

By on November 20, 2012

This afternoon the campus is emptying out for the holiday. Since late last week, conversations have tended to focus on the confluence of food and memory, on the things we make because our mothers and grandmothers always did or the things we’re planning to make because our mothers and grandmothers never would! Rick and I are planning two Thanksgiving dinners — one “American” (turkey, cornbread/sausage stuffing, green bean casserole) and one “Lebanese” (roast lamb, coucous, loobiyah) to give due honor to all of our grandmothers.

Each year as Thanksgiving rolls around I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for all things Sweet Briar. For the faculty, that wonderful group of imaginative and dedicated scholars; for the students, whose energy and curiosity make every day an adventure; for the staff, who support the work of the faculty and students, generally from behind the scenes; for the alumnae whose remarkable achievements illustrate why Sweet Briar matters.

Today, I am thinking with particular gratitude of our donors. These are some of the things Sweet Briar has today that it didn’t have a year ago, because of generous and wise gifts received since last Thanksgiving:

  • The Barton Laing Chair in Art History, given to honor two revered former faculty members — Eleanor Barton and Ninie Laing.
  • Seven updated classrooms, given to honor classmates, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, or teachers.
  • The endowed Fund for Faculty Excellence and Innovation, which will support and honor faculty leaders who are developing more effective ways to engage today’s students.
  • A renovated music room, given by a group of former students to honor Professor Rebecca McCord.
  • A Senior Class gift so enthusiastically supported that the dollar goal was met on kick-off night! (They’re still working on their participation goal, and I’m quite confident they’ll get there well before graduation.)

 

Other gifts have established or enhanced scholarships, swelled the Annual Fund, and supported internships. Yet others have provided equipment to the theater shop, books to the library, uniforms to athletics teams, or fencing for the Riding Center. Every single one of those gifts made a difference and every single one is in use today.

Each fall I invite new students over for Pizza with Parker, and each fall I ask them to fill out comment cards to let me know how things are going in their first weeks on campus. This fall, I received one pink index card that made my heart soar: it said, simply, “THANK YOU FOR THIS COLLEGE.” To everyone who has made a gift to Sweet Briar this year, of any size or nature, I am honored to say with her, on behalf of all our students, “thank you for this college.’

Happy Thanksgiving!

This entry is filed under Campus Life, Philanthropy, Uncategorized.

Why I Love Board Meetings (no, really, I do!)

By on November 13, 2012

Last weekend Sweet Briar’s Board of Directors was on campus for its fall meeting.

The Board meeting itself begins on Thursday evening and ends at lunchtime on Saturday. A day and half is a pretty long meeting, you might think: and of course, preparations start weeks before. And each meeting generates important additional work for the weeks after.

Yes, Board meetings are work, but they’re the best kind of work. Reviewing the information and reports prepared for the Board reminds us all of the vital and exciting things that happen on campus every day. For example, this time we shared a new Faculty Achievements publication — it will be on line shortly, in case you’d like to see it — summarizing all the publications, lectures, exhibits, performances, reviews, grants and honors Sweet Briar faculty have accomplished recently. Other materials reported increasingly strong numbers of applications, increasing numbers of donors, and continued success with finding way to reduce operating costs without affecting student experience.

Showing Directors the construction work underway on the library project and the new classrooms installed last summer renewed our pride in the very successful “learning spaces” initiative. And celebrating the completed funding of eight more new classrooms to be installed in the coming year gave us even more to look forward to.

Board meetings create an opportunity for dialogue between faculty and Board leadership groups; this time, for example, conversation focused on the arts at Sweet Briar and the importance of our partnership with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. Keeping with the arts theme, students performers did numbers from our recent production of The King and I over lunch on Friday; many Directors also attended the fall dance concert that evening.

And then, after each Board meeting there are the community updates. (You can find the written update report here.) My office buys lunch for anybody who wants to come and hear a summary of the topics on the Board’s agenda and any decisions they made. This is an opportunity for me to hear comments and questions from faculty members, students, librarians, office managers, athletic trainers, housekeepers, physical plant staff, admissions recruiters — in short, from anybody on campus who would like to talk with the President about the College’s plans and priorities.

Perhaps the best thing about those updates, though, is that I get to reflect back to the campus community the appreciation and respect with which their work is regarded by the members of the Board. Finally, that’s probably the best thing about Board meetings and community updates — how much we enjoy sharing our love for Sweet Briar!

This entry is filed under Campus Life, Faculty, Uncategorized.

All Saints, Halloween, Dia de los Muertos

By on November 1, 2012

It’s that time of year; autumn colors have faded, the ground is covered in crispy brown leaves, the community garden has been put to rights for the winter, the chill in the air has a cutting edge, there’s more gray than blue in the skies. It’s November on campus. Mid-terms have passed but there’s still a way to go until finals. The novelty of the semester has worn off and yet the end is not quite yet in sight. Thanksgiving break can’t get here soon enough.

This season has its own celebrations, marking the pivot of the year toward the dark, the cold, dormancy.

Last night, Chung Mungs took faculty and staff children trick-or-treating through the dorms and — of course! — Sweet Briar House. Rick and I are delighted to see the various ghouls, film characters, animals, and superheroes walk up through the Boxwood Circle to the front door.  Last night, I was particularly enchanted by a small lobster-in-arms. 

Trick-or-treating is the least of it. Today and tomorrow, the Sweet Briar Museum is offering a tour and program of ghost stories. “The program includes fictional and non-fictional accounts, such as “The Shadow Child,” which appeared in the very first Sweet Briar Magazine in 1909, “A Mid Summer Night’s Vision of Daisy’s Garden” from 1915, and a news story from 1928 titled “Novel Ghost Flits Far Ahead.”” And last Saturday there was a 5K “Zombie Run” on campus. This event was created by business students as a fundraiser for the Jennifer Hunter Yates Sarcoma Foundation. If you don’t know about zombie runs, they’re pretty much like any other 5K — just with zombies chasing you.

Photo from NPR on facebook

Some of our celebrations are thoughtful opportunities to reflect on the relationships and ties that connect the living and the dead. New Chaplain and Director of Student Spiritual Life Dori Baker held an all saint’s commemoration this week: participants were invited to bring memories of the saints (whether canonized or not) who have touched their own lives most deeply.

And later this afternoon the Cochran Library is sponsoring the 2nd annual Dia de los Muertos celebration. They’re collaborating with the student group Hermanas Unidas on this; there will be homemade Mexican food, face painting, and candy skulls to decorate. There will also be an altar on which participants will display photos of friends and family members who have passed away. (There’s an interesting explanation of the meaning of the altar pictured at left on NPR.)

As the darker and colder season closes in, the campus finds creative, fun, and meaningful ways to make sure Sweet Briar generates light and warmth.

 

This entry is filed under Campus Life, Diversity, Family and Personal, Sweet Briar History, Uncategorized.

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